No Gods, Nor Masters

Taking It In Stride

"Oh, thank God..." Halsey whispered to herself in a single exhale. She leaned against the holographic table in the middle of FOB, now affectionately nicknamed FOB 'Kingdom' by the UNSC staff and given that callsign, presumably due to their proximity or presence within the borders of Tyuule's kingdom. Word had just come through via radio that the Third Platoon was alive and healthy and that the RV with the UN forces had gone well. She clicked the 'transmit' button on her own radio system, then said, "Thank you, Cortana. I take it Blue Team is now providing escort to the Marines and the Civilians they rescued from Coda and the Elf village, then? Very well. Report back as soon as you can. I'll take the first flight over once the UN forces allow us to come in. In fact, I'll talk to the general right now. You stand by once you reach it. FOB KINGDOM, out..."

She leaned against the table, covered her mouth, then breathed a sigh of relief. The winged, fire-breathing lizard was dead for all intents and purposes, save for its head and whatever chunks remained after two high-explosive anti-aircraft missiles tipped with heavy warheads penned its thick skin and exploded. She looked to the Colonel as the man seemed to be waiting with bated breath, before giving a nod.

Several cheers erupted across the board, with Halsey feeling relief finally washing over her. It had been merely a day since they had first gone missing. She narrowed her lips, then murmured to herself, "Look at you, you old woman... Starting to care about your fellow humans again..." before looking at the feed from several Wombat drones that had linked up with the massive convoy of civilians being evacuated.

She sighed, then cued her mic and switched frequencies, stating, "General Hazama, this is Halsey."

"Doctor. I take it you heard the good news. HITMAN-3 has already reported that they've recovered your soldiers and are on their way over. Two of your wounded are also being treated at our base's hospital," The general of the SDF and overall commander of the UN Special Region Task Force replied, his voice friendly, though gruff. He assured her, "Worry not. Your men will be treated with the utmost care in accordance to every law under the sun."

"I have heard the news. And you and your men have my thanks, general, but I have a request..." She started.

"Of course," He replied.

"... I wish to come retrieve my men in one of my own aircraft. We can ensure our meeting takes place this way, provided you find the idea agreeable and have the time," She offered, before waiting for the man's response. As a few seconds passed while the man thought about it, Halsey considered just what would need to be done in terms of future meetings to ensure the UN and the UNSC cooperated properly on what came next.

The man hummed, "It would be a good point to start our discussions and expand them. We'd be glad to have you here, Doctor."

"Thank you, General. We shall see each-other soon... Doctor Halsey, out," She replied, then shut off the com after Hazama's response. She sighed deeply, then ordered, "Contact Her Highness and the Dragon-born. Let them know that our people are alive and well. I will be headed toward the Hill to initiate talks with the general and his UN forces before long. Prepare a Pelican for me and keep me updated via Wombat feed about the status of the Convoy... I shall go prepare."

As the Doctor stepped out of the FOB's CP again, she arranged her labcoat. The few things she needed to retrieve, she'd find in her office in the research wing, where archaeological staff and scientists from all other domains seemed to be trying to understand the devices' link to the Gate. Right now, she didn't care. She needed to focus on making sure her people would get home alive.

She'd done enough evil for the sake of the greater good, she felt. Caring about her own people and their survival was no small feat for her. And she did not mean Humanity. Humanity at large was the reason she had served so willingly and become the monster she was in the past. Her people were her soldiers in this case. The crew she'd come upon this world with.